Pomegranate Film Festival Wraps 7th Season

From Left: Director of LOST AND FOUND IN ARMENIA Gor Kirakosian, stars Angela Sarafyan and Jamie Kennedy, Executive Producer of the National Film Board of Canada; Silva Basmadjian and POM Chair Sevag Yeghoyan. (Photo by Chris Krikorian)

The 7th Annual Pomegranate Film Festival [POM], held in Toronto, Canada, officially ended its seventh season on Sunday, October 21, 2012 with a sold out world premiere. POM VII celebrated an extremely successful four-day weekend (October 18-21), featuring a variety of 34 films from 12 different countries; including 10 world premieres that set a new record for festival attendance.

“Once again POM completely raised the bar this year,” said Jacob Porpossian, Director of Communications and Marketing for POM. “Our fantastic selection of films was very well received and helped us set a new attendance record for the festival since its inception seven years ago.”

The festival concluded with a sold out world premiere screening of the comedy Lost and Found in Armenia directed by Gor Kirakosian with stars Jamie Kennedy and Angela Sarafyan in attendance. The 2012 POM Awards Ceremony shortly followed with jury members Silva Basmadjian, Executive Producer of the National Film Board of Canada; filmmaker and author of the graphic novel War Gods, Roger Kupelian, playwright and actor Hrant Alianak and acclaimed cinematographer Norayr Kaspar presenting the 2012 awards. The film Azad, directed by Nicolas Tackian was awarded Best Feature Film with honourable mention being awarded to Where Do We Go Now? by producer Lara Chekerdjian. Best Short Film was awarded to director Erik Dinkian for his film Yukiko while honourable mentions were awarded to Oksana Mirzoyan for her film 140 Drams as well as Luska Khalapyan for her film The Seventh. The Dr. Michael J. Hagopian Award for Best Documentary was awarded to Cesar Gananian, Gary Gananian and Cassiana Der Haroutiounian for their film Armenian Rhapsody with honourable mention awarded to Dr. Kay Mouradian for her film My Mother’s Voice. Along with winning the Best Feature Film category, the coveted Audience Choice Awards went to Azad as well as Where Do We Go Now? and Gor Kirakosian’s Lost and Found in Armenia. Other featured films such as Katherine Sarafian’s Brave, Norayr Kaspar’s Zenne Dancer, Oscan Alper’s Future Lasts Forever, screenwriter Stephane Kazandjian’s Monster in Paris, Vahakn Grigoryan’s It’s Me, and Robert Davidian’s Armenian Activists Now generated lots of discussion with film attendees.

“Selecting the right mix of films for a four day festival is never easy.” said Jacob. “Our board members spend a lot of time making sure we have a diverse array of films that ensures the growth of the festival while appealing to viewers that are new to film festival culture as well as loyal yearly attendees.”

The 7th season allowed POM to push the boundaries by introducing subject matter that wasn’t previously screened at the Toronto festival. Symphony of Sin, a collection of eight short rated R films including Yukiko, allowed POM attendees to explore the dark side of the creative mind and experience a variety of thrillers and horror films, while the screening of Zenne Dancer highlighted and introduced LGBTQ and related honour killing issues in Turkey to the Toronto Armenian community.

“We love seeing how attendees react to different films when they exit the theatre.” said Jacob. “You know you’ve succeeded when your audience is engaged in discussions about the films after the screening has concluded.”

Due to the success and popularity of the Festival’s Finale film Lost and Found in Armenia, a second Toronto screening has already been scheduled for November 18th at the Hamazkayin Theatre.

The Pomegranate Film Festival, established in 2006 stems from the Toronto Klatsor Chapter of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society. A group of young Armenian professionals, bound by a passion for film and culture voluntarily come together every year to put together a wonderful cultural event which they believe is fundamental to Armenians living in the Canadian Diaspora. Like its fruity namesake, the pomegranate, this film festival is fresh, dynamic, and prolific! Rich with variety, it depicts topics relevant to Armenian culture through the medium of films submitted from around the world. In doing so, it creates a platform for burgeoning Armenian talent to showcase their work and grow as artists while providing the Armenian community and its supporters a unique film experience.